Save a Penny for a Rainy Day

Imagine walking down the street and there is a penny laying on the ground; odds are someone is more likely to avoid it and move on. However, if the penny is picked up, the person is one cent richer. The idea of saving does not necessarily have to involve large amounts of money, but it can start from something small, such as saving a penny. Ever since I was little, my father taught me that every time I saw a penny, I should put it into a money jar. Eventually, when the money jar was full, we could take the money to the bank, so it could be converted into cash.

The traditional method of saving pocket change for a rainy day actually works, but it takes discipline and effort. Growing up in a poorer family, my mother recalled her parents limiting their spending by only getting things that were really important, in order to save money. Recently, my grandparents moved for the first time from their house they owned for forty-seven years. When my family cleaned their basement out, we found a safe with lots of jars of pocket change. Before they left town we took multiple trips to the bank, to turn the change into cash. All the coins amounted to over three thousand dollars. My grandmother told us that whenever she and grandpa went walking, they always picked up the pocket change they saw, or they put change they already had into the jars. Over the years, when one jar was full, they stored it in the safe, and started a new jar.

Both of my grandparents are retired now, by having the extra three thousand dollars they had collected from years of money jars, they were able pay for their new home renovations. Even though pocket change may not seem like a lot of money, eventually the money can accumulate into a larger sum that can be used for a time of need later in life. Having a cushion of savings can help to be financial prepared for unexpected incidents. In order for children to be more financially prepared for the real world, parents can sign their children up for an online program called Pocket Change Kids. Pocket Change Kids helps instill the vitality of saving early on, so when they become adults, they will feel more confident in managing their financial expenses. Remember, by just having your children save their loose change in a jar, it will eventually build up to a higher value for future emergencies. Ask yourself, do you want your child to feel more financially secure going into adulthood? If yes, visit http://www.transformanceusa.org/pocket-change-kids, to get your child started on their path to smart financial saving and money management habits.